Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems

CUDOS brings together a powerful team of Australian and International researchers in optical science and photonics technology, our efforts will lead to significant advancement in the capabilities and knowledge in this crucial field.

CUDOS success in ARC funding

Congratulations to all CUDOS members who were successful in the ARC Funding announced on November 8th, for funding commencing 2014. Including:2 DECRA (Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards)5 Discovery Projects 5 LEIF (Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities) Grants

DECRA

DE140100614 Atakaramians, Dr Shaghik 2014 $131,740.00 2015 $131,740.00 2016 $131,740.00 Total $395,220.00 Primary FOR 0906 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING Funded Participants: DECRA Dr Shaghik Atakaramians Administering Organisation The University of Sydney Project Summary This project will make terahertz waveguide-based devices by exploiting metamaterials, man-made composite materials capable of controlling light in new ways. This project will build hollow-core metamaterial waveguides, where the large dimension (a few millimetres) of current rigid waveguides will be reduced to a few tens of microns. This project will demonstrate tuneable spectral filtering using these novel waveguides, leading to realisation of the world's first hollow-core waveguide-based metamaterial device. The outcome will have a profound impact on the next generation of terahertz devices, high resolution imaging and high sensitivity biosensors, which are indispensable tools for many disciplines including biology, medicine, forensic and public safety

DE140101700 Peruzzo, Dr Alberto 2014 $131,740.00 2015 $131,740.00 2016 $131,740.00 Total $395,220.00 Primary FOR 0206 QUANTUM PHYSICS Funded Participants: DECRA Dr Alberto Peruzzo Administering Organisation The University of Sydney Project Summary This project aims to develop the first generation quantum processors specifically designed to efficiently solve problems in quantum chemistry that are intractable on conventional computers. To remove the major limitations that plague current approaches, and achieve devices of unprecedented size and complexity, this project will use photonic technology and integrate, for the first time, all the critical components on a single chip. These components are single photon sources, processing circuits and single photon detectors. The outputs of this project will have applications ranging from the design of new materials and drugs to determining the results of internet search engines.

Discovery Projects

DP140103190 Ireland, Dr Michael J; Withford, Prof Michael J; Tuthill, Prof Peter G 2014 $182,000.00 2015 $119,000.00 2016 $127,000.00 Total $428,000.00 Primary FOR 0201 ASTRONOMICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES Funded Participants: Administering Organisation Macquarie University Project Summary This project will create new three-dimensional photonic technologies operating in the mid -infrared capable of discovering exoplanets. Starlight from this optimally-favourable spectral band will be collected over six of more apertures and undergo advanced on-chip photonic processing which will null out the bright starlight, but preserve the faint signature betraying the presence of an exoplanet. This device will empower visionary future astronomical instruments on the worlds most advanced telescopes.

DP140104458 Goldys, Prof Ewa M; Dawes, A/Prof Judith M 2014 $130,000.00 2015 $145,000.00 2016 $130,000.00 Total $405,000.00 Primary FOR 0299 OTHER PHYSICAL SCIENCES Funded Participants: Administering Organisation Macquarie University Project Summary Quantum-mechanical effects of energy transfer and resonance will be harnessed to yield ultrabright nanoscale light sources. Research will unveil the intricate interplay between energy harvesting, transferring and emitting centres designed so that the flow of energy exhibits a directed character. This focussed intense energy will produce abundant visible photons from infrared light. Genetically engineered cells able to be stimulated optically by using an optogenetics method will be illuminated by our nanoscale light causing modulation of cell activity. This new capability will enable remote control of neuronal activity in specific circuits within the nervous system without the limitation of surgically inserted optical fibres.

DP140101336 Jackson, A/Prof Stuart D 2014 $110,000.00 2015 $90,000.00 2016 $100,000.00 Total $300,000.00 Primary FOR 0906 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING Funded Participants: Administering Organisation The University of Sydney Project Summary By exploiting the dysprosium ion in a unique and practical way, the project will create high power mid -infrared light with unprecedented optical efficiency. The project will make use of the unusually wide fluorescence spectrum of the dysprosium ion to produce stable and bandwidth-limited ultra-fast light pulses in the mid-infrared. The proposed light sources will have application in mid-infrared nonlinear optics and will benefit medicine, defence, fundamental physics and manufacturing providing excellent opportunities for Australian research, industry and collaboration.

DP140104116 Barton, Em/Prof Geoffrey W; Fleming, Prof Simon C 2014 $145,000.00 2015 $160,000.00 2016 $190,000.00 Total $495,000.00 Primary FOR 0912 MATERIALS ENGINEERING Funded Participants: Administering Organisation The University of Sydney Project Summary Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural materials. Fibre drawing is a proven mass-production technology for translating the structure of a (macroscale) preform to microscale and has recently been applied it to fabricate microscale metamaterials. By overcoming fundamental instabilities, this project will transform the technique to manufacture nanoscale structured composites and demonstrate practical metamaterial-based optical devices with unique properties.

DP140100849 Gu, Prof Min; Jia, Dr Baohua; Hong, A/Prof Minghui 2014 $220,000.00 2015 $190,000.00 2016 $140,000.00 Total $550,000.00 Primary FOR 0205 OPTICAL PHYSICS Funded Participants: Administering Organisation Swinburne University of Technology Project Summary Based on a recent discovery of the giant refractive index modulation associated with graphene oxide to graphene transition upon laser exposure and the breakthrough of graphene silicon solar cells. This project aims to investigate a new concept of an integratible, broadband, dispersionless, ultraflat lens array from nanostructured graphene oxide/graphene. This conceptually new development of functional graphene oxide/graphene lens array in combination with a lumpy nanoparticle enabled back light trapping layer will allow for the non-reciprocal coupling of the broadband solar light into the photovoltaic devices with minimised entropy losses. Thus ultrahigh efficiency solar cells exceeding the conventional theoretical limit can be developed.

LE140100104 McCulloch, Prof Dougal G; Friend, Prof James R; Bhaskaran, Dr Madhu; Etheridge, Prof Joanne; Cheng, Prof Yi-Bing; Mulvaney, Prof Paul; Prawer, Prof Steven; Bilek, Prof Marcela M; Juodkazis, Prof Saulius; Abbott, Prof Derek; Tachibana, A/Prof Yasuhiro; Bhargava, Prof Suresh K; Caruso, A/Prof Rachel A; McArthur, Prof Sally L; Weinberg, A/Prof Roberto F; Funston, Dr Alison M; Kuhlmey, Dr Boris T; Lapine, Dr Mikhail; Fumeaux, Prof Christophe2014 $500,000.00Total $500,000.00Primary FoR 0912 MATERIALS ENGINEERINGPartner/Collaborating Eligible Organisation(s)Monash University, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of AdelaideAdministering Organisation RMIT UniversityProject SummaryCollaborative facility for high resolution fabrication, imaging, and characterisation of nanostructured materials: The development of the next generation of electronic, optical, and biomedical devices requires methods that can quickly manipulate and characterise matter at the nanoscale. This project will establish new tools that will allow researchers to build novel device structures and analyse them at nanoscale spatial resolutions. The new facilities are required to meet the demands of a growing number of innovative projects being undertaken within a large multidisciplinary consortium of research groups. The facilities will be housed in state-of-the art laboratories and managed as open access resources for researchers which will enable advances in the areas of energy harvesting, environmental monitoring, and electronics.

LE140100131 Clark, Dr Alexander S; Gibson, Dr Brant C; Monro, Prof Tanya M; Mitchell, Prof Arnan; Reilly, Prof David J; Greentree, A/Prof Andrew D; Peruzzo, Dr Alberto; Xiong, Dr Chunle; Husko, Dr Chad2014 $500,000.00Total $500,000.00Primary FoR 0206 QUANTUM PHYSICSPartner/Collaborating Eligible Organisation(s)RMIT University, The University of AdelaideAdministering Organisation The University of SydneyProject SummaryNational facility for cryogenic photonics: The project will establish a multi-disciplinary, multi-user facility for the development and analysis of photonic materials and devices at cryogenic temperatures, heralding a new paradigm in quantum optical research in Australia. The two nodes, one for photonic materials development and one for quantum device characterisation, will enable new physical phenomena to be discovered, new materials to be developed and will ultimately result in the creation of ground-breaking new photonic technologies. This collaborative facility will play a role in the quantum revolution, hailed as the next major step in societal evolution, providing breakthroughs in modern technology and placing Australia at the forefront of this field.